darthmalgus69

[darthmalgus69]

I read the Jedi Academy Trilogy right after each other, so remembering them all specifically is a bit hard, especially since it was nearly 2 years ago.

So Dark Apprentice and Champions of the Force are being joined together.

I loved this trilogy as a whole and I remember enjoying it a great deal and that was solidified with some of the moments from the third book. I loved the character of Exar Kune and the small chunk of Sith lore behind him and the Massassi of Yavin IV was super cool. I also liked how they used the loss of Luke to let the new Jedi shine, and grow from Padawans to Knights through the vanquishing of the Sith Spirit.

I also loved the continuation of Kyp Durron and the guilt he developed for causing the death of his own brother. And as much as planet killing weapons is a huge trend in many star wars stories, I loved the prototype Death Star run by scientists trying to use the protocols to effectively use the Space station only for it to fail.

It's honestly such a fun story of how Luke's Jedi Order could have been especially as a new teacher navigating rebuilding lost order. I hope we see something similar in future New Jedi Order stories, even if the events are inspiring by this. Even if it was Imperial or First Order Troopers entering a changed galaxy like in the series. It would be such a fun concept to follow onscreen!

[darthmalgus69]

I remember looking through hundreds of comments about what was essential reading for the NJO, so once I finished the Thrawn Trilogy, I moved onto the Academy Trilogy. I know some people hate it, but I'm actually a fan. There's a lot of fun and unique pieces inside of Jedi Search by Kevin J. Anderson.

I like that they do put Han and Chewie in a near death situation which actually makes me feel some risk in their survival, but I also like how Luke knows that he wants to rebuild the Jedi and bring them back into the galaxy.

I love the choice of Yavin IV, and I beg that is the case in the future, for the home of the Jedi. It's a brilliant location and such an iconic one at that. I'm sure nothing bad will happen to any of the students at all....

I also really liked Kyp Durron and how he joined up with Han and Chewie, navigating the Maw Cluster.

My absolute favourite idea from this book is the Maw Installation, having a group of Imperials who are oblivious to the deaths of important imperial figureheads and just how small the empire has become is really cool to me. I don't like having a prototype death star just out there with them, I'll happily take Starkiller Base for being an upgrade, but a third regular Death Star which is even less complete than the last isn't it.

So please, if you want to complain about the overuse of planet killing weapons, just remember the Academy trilogy did it first.

Overall though, super fun and had some unique moments that stood out to me.

[darthmalgus69]

So, Heir to the Empire was awesome, Dark Force Rising wasn't as good, so hopefully The Last Command could finish this story in a satisfying conclusion. It definitely felt like a perfect ending.

I absolutely LOVE how the death of Thrawn comes from his right hand man, Ruhk, and had that not happened, the New Republic would have definitely failed. Which also makes me love the whole Wayland and Jorrus ending so great as well.

I love Luke teaching Mara little pieces of the Force and then using those to help Luke against Luuke. I know people don't fully see eye to eye with Luuke, but I love that twist and him using the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker. It is also a brilliant way to finish Mara's "Last Command" from the Emperor by doing what's right for herself and the New Republic.

One of my favourite chapters comes from the Smugglers where they all meet together and discover the traitor within them, but I love the ending of Luke handing over his saber to Mara as a sign of redemption and him letting go. It's a great trilogy that I very much enjoyed and was perfect in getting into the legends continuity.

[darthmalgus69]

Dark Force Rising, the second in the original Thrawn Trilogy, has fond memories, but mixed feelings.

Dark Force Rising got me through the first couple weeks of College when I started, and I had no friends at all, so it really helped when I was stuck with long break times before my next lessons.

However, in terms of the story, it felt a little unnecessary. My big takeaway being that the Smugglers knew where thousands of battleships were lost, but no one wanted to talk, until the New Republic found out and attempted to take as many as they possibly could. Which obviously set up a couple of plot points in the finale and future novels, but the fact that in the end it was all for nothing just doesn't really sit well with me.

But it was still an enjoyable read, and having not long finished Heir to the Empire, felt fun reading quite close after each other. But I still don't enjoy having the whole gang included in another story.

Like the gang is HUGE. Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, C-3PO, R2-D2, Lando, Talon Karde, Mara Jade. It's just too many people, and I know it is something that tones down later in the Legends Continuity, but when you're reading so many early legend novels after the other it can be super frustrating.

[darthmalgus69]

Dark Disciple by Christie Golden was a brilliant novel set in one of my favourite eras of Star Wars. I've also always loved Ventress, her whole presence during the Clone Wars made her return in The Bad Batch even more awesome. But to explore her as a person and have her become this caring individual who was willing to sacrifice herself for the one she loved was truly amazing.

I also loved having Obi-Wan occasionally meet with her, they never truly felt like enemies, more conflicted friends, so having the occasional interaction was fun. I also loved having Dooku and Grievous involved as well. But to also show some of the lengths the Jedi would have gone to just to stop the Clone War was also interesting.

I have my own thoughts on the Jedi going as far to hire assassinations to save the lives of millions is a difficult choice to make, but an interesting one. But I loved Dark Disciple a lot for how much it actually felt like watching several episodes of the Clone Wars.

I was also glad I read Dark Disciple when I did, because I bought this over in America the week after I finished Heir to the Empire. I think if I had been at home, I would never have picked it up for a good year or more, and I'm glad I got to experience this story.

[darthmalgus69]

"I can't believe they started making Star Wars Books when Disney took over." -Me, pre-2020s.

I've always wondered where some people get their random knowledge of post-Return of the Jedi information from, but never once did it occur to me that I was missing out on a whole world of stories. So 2023 was my big exposure to Legends and just how vast that timeline is.

Timothy Zahn's, Heir to the Empire is the best starting point to getting into Legends, and overall an awesome story building off of the universe set up in the original trilogy. Reading names that had been buried deep in my memory, such as Mara Jade, and finally understanding why people always spoke of her really grabbed my interest and evidently kept it.

I read this around July/August period and I remember finish it on holiday to Disney World, but it was so crazy to me how, like the Clone Wars, I had been so oblivious to such an epic (a story for another time). I love Thrawn, I love Talon and Mara, as well as just how mysterious Jorrus was. What was also fun was exploring the roots of small canon details that were inspired by these events (Mount Tantiss in TBB Season 2).

Reading this trilogy has started a trend of reading Thrawn related stories every year, which I will honour this year, eventually. I loved how different these stories felt, but it did at times feel overcrowded with characters that could have just been absent, but either way, this book is solid. The perfect opening to legends, and full of connections to current canon stories.

[darthmalgus69]

If there is one thing I like about reading Star Wars, it's when they follow the Rebellion and the fight against the Empire. So when I started reading Aftermath by Chuck Wendig, I was very much into the story.

I love all of Star Wars, every movie, everything I watch/read, but the original trilogy isn't always my go to, but I'm terms of books, I love reading this time period. I love the politics of Star Wars, so seeing a piece of what leads to the birth of the New Republic was super interesting.

But other than that the story is actually really good. I love Snap Wexley and Mr. Bones, going through the droid factories of Akiva, and his relationship and mother as a whole was super fun. I adored Akiva in this book, and it definitely made me appreciate it more when it made its debut in Outlaws last year.

I do wish I did continue with the trilogy, I still don't know where Han and Chewie's decision to liberate Kashyyyk leads, or the future of these characters from the book (other than the events of the sequels), but I got so sidetracked with other great stories that I haven't found my way back yet.

[darthmalgus69]

Beginning my little Star Wars Book review thing is Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston.

I read Ahsoka in Spring of 2023 on the run up to some significant exams of mine. It was the first book I'd read in a good 4 years so I was so happy to actually get through a book.

I don't remember a great deal about the book and don't feel like I took it all in, but I think 2023 was just easing myself back in with something pretty simple to get back into.

I did enjoy Ahsoka using the force openly, and then the Inquisitor's coming after her. I also remember some flashbacks or connections with other Jedi Survivors, but not a huge amount of the overall story.

From the bits that I remember and how I felt afterwards, it was definitely a 7/10, as much as Ahsoka does appear, I would love some more books told from her POV from the Clone Wars and New Republic, even an Ahsoka Show tie in before season two.

[darthmalgus69]

I'm on the dawn of reading Star Wars for two years (starting 2023) and I've read nearly 30 books from different periods and both Canon and Legends.

I'd like to pass my opinions and feelings about these books and I'm hoping this will serve as a place to express an opinion without getting some backlash for it. So I will be starting with some of my oldest reads and catching up with some of my favourites.

2023 - Reading Order:

Ahsoka (E. K. Johnston)

Aftermath (Chuck Wendig)

Heir to the Empire (Timothy Zahn)

Dark Disciple (Christie Golden)

Dark Force Rising (Timothy Zahn)

The Last Command (Timothy Zahn)

Jedi Search (Kevin J. Anderson)

Dark Apprentice (Kevin J. Anderson)

Champions of the Force (Kevin J. Anderson)

The High Republic: Light of the Jedi (Charles Soule)

2024 - Reading Order:

Revenge of the Sith (Matthew Stover)

Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade (Delilah S. Dawson)

Shadow of the Sith (Adam Christopher)

Specter of the Past (Timothy Zahn)

Vision of the Future (Timothy Zahn)

I, Jedi (Michael A. Stackpole)

Darth Bane: Path of Destruction (Drew Karpyshyn)

Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising (Timothy Zahn)

Darth Bane: Rule of Two (Drew Karpyshyn)

Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good (Timothy Zahn)

Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil (Drew Karpyshyn)

Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil (Timothy Zahn)

Darth Plaugeis (James Luceno)

New Jedi Order: Vector Prime (R. A. Salvatore)

New Jedi Order: Dark Tide 1: Onslaught (Michael A. Stackpole)

2025 - Reading Order (So Far):

The Phantom Menace (Terry Brooks)

New Jedi Order: Dark Tide 2: Ruin (Michael A. Stackpole)

Leia: Princess of Alderaan (Claudia Gray)

Padawan (Kierstan White)

Into the Dark (Claudia Gray)

Attack of the Clones (R. A. Salvatore)

New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos: Hero's Trial (James Luceno)

New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos: Jedi Eclipse (James Luceno

New Jedi Order: Balance Point (Kathy Tyers) (Ongoing)

Obviously this list is growing, but to set the scene, this is what I'm up to. Hopefully this might spark some people's interests through books they love and what others take from them, but I look forward to passing my thoughts off in the near future!

May the Force be with you!